Articles Posted in Car Accidents

A mid-week holiday isn’t stopping many residents from getting out there and taking a holiday vacation. According to officials with AAA, more than 42 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles from their home to celebrate this year’s Fourth of July holiday. That’s a near 5 percent increase in travel compared to just a year ago.

A good majority of these travelers will be behind the wheel too, severely increasing all of our risks for a car accidents in Boston and throughout New England. Officials estimate that nearly 43 million will be hopping in a car for this year’s vacation. Why? Many believe that it’s the low gas prices that are fueling everyone’s vacation spirit.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that this year’s travel predictions are the highest since 2007. Experts believe that by having the holiday land on a Wednesday more people will opt to make it a really long weekend. In fact, most people are expected to start their vacations before the work week even begins. Most of these people are expected to hit the road too, as officials are estimating that nearly 36 million will be using a motor vehicle to get to their vacation destination. According to officials with AAA, June 29, a Friday, will be the single biggest day with the most expected travel before July 4.

Just last week, gas prices were averaged at under $3.44 a gallon in the state of Massachusetts. That’s about 50 cents lower than the prices were during this time of the year in 2011, according to The Boston Globe.

The travel in the New England area is expected to outpace travel levels nationwide. In our area, more than 1.7 million residents are expected to take the holiday to get out and vacation.

“The landscape of the US economy is in a much different place…encouraging to see such growth this summer as Americans take to the road to visit family, friends, and great vacation destinations,” said Lloyd P. Albert with AAA Southern New England.

The National Safety Council (NSC) is estimating that nearly 175 people will be killed over this year’s Fourth of July holiday, counting as the evening of July 3rd through the evening of the 4th. Another 17,000 people are expected to be injured in these same accidents. For this reason, we’re asking all drivers to head out with safety as a top priority. Make sure that you leave with plenty of time to reach your destination, keep distractions out of the driver’s seat and obey by all road laws. Make sure you check out your car, too. Take a peek at the fluid levels and at the condition and air pressure of your tires. Safe driving habits are your key to staying safe behind the wheel during this year’s holiday. Happy Fourth of July!
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Teens nowadays may not be as excited to get behind the wheel as they once were. They’re now relying more on public transportation and other ways to get around. Driving just isn’t cool as it once was, many would say. Some teens are even a little frightened by it, saying they’re intimidated by having the ability to control something that could potentially kill them.

We oftentimes talk about the high risks that our teens are at for car accidents in Braintree and elsewhere in the area. But the truth of the matter is that a growing number of teens understand the dangers, they’re staying from behind the wheel and they’re finding different ways to get around.

Our Braintree car accident lawyers aren’t saying to ease off of your teen drivers, but to recognize that they may have a different agenda that includes alternative modes of transportation. Regardless, whether they want to drive or not, it’s important that they receive a thorough driver’s education. There’s going to be a time when they need these skills. Let’s make sure they have them.

“Generation Y,” (Gen-Y-ers or Millennials) is coveted marketing demographic encompassing the 80 million U.S. residents between the ages of 16- and 34-years-old, according to Yahoo. This generation is larger than the post-World War Two baby-boom generation and many of them find driving to be more of a chore than the anticipated right that it once was.

When you break it down, the entire country is driving less at the turn of the 21st century. Young people are just taking this trend to a whole new level. From just 2001 through 2009, the average number of vehicle miles traveled among young drivers, those aged 16- to 34-years-old, dropped close to 25 percent, going from nearly 10,500 to less than 8,000. Many of these young people now choose to walk, ride a bicycle or take public transportation to where they need to be. Of this young age group, more than 25 percent of them didn’t even have a driver’s license in 2010.

One of the top reasons for this decrease, experts believe, is the actual cost of driving. All costs considered, it’s just cheaper to ride a bike, to walk or to even take public transportation.

“They’re shouldering higher mortgage costs, rent; their insurance costs are higher than previous generation’s,” said David Jacobs of the marketing firm Tombras Group.

Whether your teen chooses to drive or not, it’s important no matter what that they’re taught how to do so properly. Regardless of the decrease in the number of these young drivers, car accidents continue to be the leading cause of death for them. Help to equip your teen driver with the tools to stay safe on our roadways, should they ever decide to use them.
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New vehicles are coming with a heck of a lot of features nowadays and many of them are aimed at helping to make us a little safer by reducing the risks for car accidents in Boston and elsewhere.

But are they working? Officials with the Highway Loss Data Institute are saying that they are doing a decent job. This group of safety advocates analyzes insurance claim data in connection with crash avoidance technologies, according to CNN Money.

One of the technologies that was pointed out by the group was the forward collision avoidance systems. This technology can help to alert drivers when they’re approaching something that they could crash into. Some of the systems will even brake the car if the driver doesn’t.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand that property damage liability claims were down nearly 15 percent on some vehicles with the forward collision avoidance system. There are also other technologies that are helping to avoid accidents, like adaptive headlights. These are headlights that move from side to side as the vehicle turns to help the driver to see more of the roadway. Officials say that this technology reduced the number of property damage claims by nearly 10 percent. This technology was able to reduce the number of injury claims by about 30 percent in some models.

“Adaptive headlights are having an even bigger impact than we had anticipated,” said HLDI vice president Matt Moore.

And then we have blind-spot-detection, which officials say hasn’t shown any clear effect on crash rates yet.

Lastly, one of the most popular forms of crash avoidance technology was the lane departure systems. These systems alert a driver when they’re vehicle is drifting off the road or into another lane of traffic. Official numbers have not been released regarding the effect of this technology, nor have they been released for technologies like backup cameras, park assist and other high-tech safety options.

Each and every day, more and more vehicles are coming equipped with these devices. They’re no longer only for the luxury vehicles.

Automakers aren’t stopping there either. They’ve got a whole slew of crash avoidance technologies lined up, including night vision assist, fatigue warning, curve speed warning, cross traffic alerts and more. All of these technologies are in the developmental phases and will be on the market before we know it.

Although automakers are working toward developing vehicles that can pretty much drive themselves, we still need to solely rely on safe driving habits to avoid accidents. There’s no technology that should replace your alertness and awareness at the wheel. Safe driving habits have been proven more effective than anything in preventing crashes. Continue practicing your safest driving habits to avoid a potentially fatal accident.
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Summer means that it’s time for a vacation for a lot of Americans.

Plenty of them will be making their way to the Boston area for their summer vacations. It’s one of the hottest spots in the country for getaways. Unfortunately for us, that means we have to live through all of the traffic. With the increase in traffic, we see increased risks for car accidents in Boston and throughout New England.

Thinking about getting out of town for your summer vacation? You’re probably going to hit some congested highways, too. Traveling in the summer is not only one of the most popular, but it’s one of the most dangerous times, too. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) offers some safe driving tips to help us all to navigate through the seasonal traffic.

Our Boston car accident attorneys are asking all families, from near and far, to be extra careful on our roadways. There are a few simple safety tips that all of us can take to help to prevent a potentially fatal accident. It doesn’t matter if you’re taking a camper, an SUV, a car or a truck, there are basic safety steps that we should all be aware of! Prevention and planning are much easier than dealing with the consequences of a breakdown, or worse yet, a highway crash.

Before you head out:

-Make sure that you check both the condition and the tire pressure of all of your tires. Worn tires and tires without enough air greatly increase your risks for an accident.

-Check out your vehicles belts and hoses. Be on the lookout for cuts, blisters or cracks in the rubber. With the summer heat it’s much easier for your car’s belts to snap.

-Make sure your windshield wipers work. You never know when you’re going to hit rain.

-Check your coolant and consider putting some extra in your car. On a long road trip in summer heat, you’ll want your cooling system functioning at peak performance to avoid the possibility of your engine overheating.

-Check out your vehicle’s exterior lights. Make sure that all are working properly.

On the road:

-Keep all distractions out of the driver’s seat.

-Never drink and drive. There are more than 30 deaths a day resulting from drunk driving. If you’re going out drinking, make sure that you have a designated driver or another safe and sober way to get home.

-Always wear your seat belt and make sure that everyone in the vehicle is buckled in during every car ride.

We hope that everyone enjoys their summer vacation and keeps these safety tips as a top priority. Your safe and defensive driving habits may be one of your best defenses against a summer auto accident.
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A number of young motorists involved in a recent multi-vehicle, head-on car accident in Foxborough were injured.

Four people total, including three teens, were seriously injured after their car collided with another one as it tried to make a left-hand turn at the intersection of Pierce and Main Street. According to Wicked Local, the teenagers were on their way to a baseball game in Franklin when the accident happened. The teens were in two separate vehicles and were following one another to the game. Two of the teens were taken by helicopter to the hospital. One of the teens had to be rescued from the vehicle with the Jaws of Life. The last motorist injured in the accident was taken to the hospital via ambulance.

“We were all following each other, he wanted to keep up with him,” said one of the teens involved in the accident. “He cut somebody off and went head on with him.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 1,960 teen drivers killed in car accidents across the U.S. in 2010. In addition to those who were killed, there were another 190,000 teen drivers who were injured in these same incidents. Our Foxborough car accident attorneys understand that teen drivers have some of the highest rates for accidents in the country. These crashes continue to be the number one cause of death for this young age group year after year. As we continue through the summer travel season, teens are urged to be careful on our roadways. With more motorists out, the risks for car accidents increase significantly.

In the state of Massachusetts, there were more than 50 teens killed in car accidents in 2010. Of these fatalities, more than 20 were of teen drivers, more than 10 were the passengers of young drivers’ vehicles, more than 10 were occupants of other vehicles and the last 9 were of nonoccupants.

Parents and guardians are asked to take the time to talk with these young, inexperienced drivers about the dangers lurking on our roads. Teen drivers should avoid driving during the evening hours. Luckily, in the state of Massachusetts teen drivers are prohibited from driving between 12:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. while they have a restricted license. Unfortunately, between 12:30 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. night driving restrictions are secondarily enforced. Because of this relaxed enforcement, parents are asked to step in and to make sure that teens are abiding by all road laws, especially the ones in the teen’s graduated driver’s licensing (GDL) program. If you feel your teen needs tougher laws, go ahead and enact them. Consider creating your own parent-teen contract to set up household laws for your young driver!

In addition to nighttime restrictions, you can also consider enacting passenger restrictions. The more passengers that are in your teen’s vehicle the higher the risks are for an accident.
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A recent safety demonstration truly illustrated the benefits of a new in-car technology that would allow our vehicles to warn drivers of potential collisions. A sedan was just seconds away from blowing through an intersection when all of a sudden a row of red lights flashed on the lower portion of the vehicle’s windshield. The bright red lights served as a warning to the driver alerting him that there was another car approaching quickly on the cross street.

The driver was able to stop quickly, just as the other vehicle, which wasn’t seen behind a large commercial truck, plowed through a red light and across the projected path of the sedan.

With this new in-car technology, or Connected Cars, car accidents in Boston and elsewhere could be prevented, according to the Boston Globe.

Our Boston injury lawyers understand that this technology was recently showcased at a transportation conference. The entire conference was used to reveal and review devices that can help to improve safety on our roadways. The new Connected Cars have the ability to talk to one another and then to warn drivers about potential accident risks. Later on in the summer, drivers in Ann Arbor will be testing out this technology. About 3,000 vehicles will be let loose on our roadways to volunteering drivers of buses, trucks and cars.

The vehicles can talk to one another via wireless networks. They can talk to one another about their speed, their direction, their location and such at a speed of more than 10 times a second. A vehicle can communicate with other cars within a radius of about 1,000 feet. As this information is sent and received, it analyzes is and sends needed warnings to the driver helping to reduce the risks and ultimately eliminate the risks of accidents.

If the sedan in the recent demonstration wouldn’t have had the Connected Car technology, then chances are that it would have slammed into the other vehicle.

In 2010, there were nearly 8,000 fatal intersection-related car accidents throughout the country. This safety feature has the potentially to reduce, if not completely eliminate, the risks associated with these accidents.

The Connected Car technology “is our next evolutionary step … to make sure the crash never happens in the first place,” said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) administrator, David Strickland.

The NHTSA reports that there were about 32,000 people who were killed in motor vehicle accidents across the U.S. in 2011. Imagine how many of these accidents we can avoid once the Connected Car technology is released to the general public. Until then, be safe out there and keep your attention on the road.
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A new study reveals that sleepy drivers are just about at the same risks as drunk drivers.

That’s right. According to a recent letter that was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, drivers who were either sleepy or drunk behind the wheel were about twice as likely to be responsible for a car accident in Boston and elsewhere in comparison to those who were well rested behind the wheel.

“We know from experimental studies that just four hours of sleep loss will produce as much impairment as a six pack,” said researcher Christopher Drake.

Our Boston car accident lawyers understand there’s a lot more traffic on our roadways during this time of the year. With all of this traffic come higher risks for traffic accidents.

One of the most important things you can do is to make sure that you’re well-rested and alert at the wheel. Officials report that there are about 100,000 car accidents that are the fault of drowsy drivers every year. The number is expected to actually be much higher as most drivers will fail to admit they were drowsy at the time of an accident.

Officials with the Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Disorders and Research Center in Michigan conducted the study and looked at accident reports from nearly 680 drivers who were hospitalized from 2007 to 2009. Researchers looked at the reports and looked for the cause of the accident — looking for evidence that they were under the influence of alcohol, what drugs or medications they were on and how sleepy they were before the accident.

Reports and analysis concludes that it was our young drivers and our male drivers who were most likely to be involved in these kinds of accidents. Most of the drivers were men who were under the age of 55. More than half of these drivers were riding on motorcycles, about a third were in a car and another 10 percent were on a bicycle when the accident happened, according to Reuters.

The conclusion that researchers drew was that there is absolutely no substitute for sleep. It’s suggested that you nap before hitting the road if you’re taking a road trip. If you’ve already started your journey and you start to feel sleepy, you’re urged to stop and take a nap. You can also try to drink some coffee, but you have to remember to allow it some time to kick in and that its effect will wear off after a while.

Take care of yourself and help to prevent a potentially fatal accident. Make sure you are well-rested before you get behind the wheel regardless of how short or long your trip may be. There’s no use in pushing through your sleepiness. Get some rest!
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Texing while driving is a big problem on our roadways. Teen drivers are some of the guiltiest. According to a recent report from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, more than 40 percent of high school students in the state admit to texting behind the wheel. The Boston Globe reports that seniors are the worst of them all, with more than 60 percent admitting to it. The older students were three times more likely than the younger drivers in the school.

The findings of the recent study come just one day after a Massachusetts teen, Aaron Deveau, was convicted of vehicular manslaughter. The teen driver wound up in a Haverhill car accident that killed a man and seriously injured another after texting behind the wheel. This was the first such verdict in Massachusetts. He now has to serve time behind bars and has been sentenced to have his license revoked for 15 years.

Our Haverhill car accident lawyers understand that teenage drivers already face the highest risks for car accidents. They just don’t have the experience behind the wheel that you and I have. In addition to their inexperience, they’re also the age group that’s most likely to be engaged in distractions behind the wheel.

The accident happened in Haverhill when the teen driver swerved across the center line and directly into the path of an oncoming vehicle, killing the driver. But why was he swerving? It was because of a text message. The driver of the other vehicle ended up staying in a Boston hospital for nearly three weeks before passing away. The teenage driver was originally charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, motor vehicle homicide, injury from mobile phone use, two counts of negligent operation, a marked lanes violation, reading or sending an electronic message and using a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle.

“Clearly, being distracted is an extremely deadly thing that’s going on in this country and people need to understand they just can’t do it,” said David Teater, senior director at the National Safety Council (NSC).

The accident happened one minute after the driver sent a text message to a buddy and during the same minute a text was received.

“If I could take it back, I would take it back. I just want to apologize to the family,’ said Deveau.

Deveau was 17-years-old at the time of the accident. Massachusetts’ State Law states that drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using a cell phone behind the wheel. All drivers in the state are prohibited from text messaging behind the wheel, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Our Boston injury attorneys are asking parents and guardians to share this story with the teen drivers in their family to help to get them to put away the phone while they’re behind the wheel. These dangers are very real and it could happen to you if you’re not careful. Be a responsible driver and keep distractions out of the driver’s seat.
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